


The Coat Check

by cinnamon_skull



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3362786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamon_skull/pseuds/cinnamon_skull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren unexpectedly ends up working a shift as a coat check attendant alongside a stranger—cranky, sarcastic and enigmatic Levi Ackerman.</p><p>In the ensuing chaos, Eren and Levi bicker, flirt, and return some coats.  Oh, and do a little kissing, of course.  </p><p>*Rating to go up next chapter</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Coat Check

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ninanna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninanna/gifts).



> This is for the one and only, sweet as pie ninanna. Hope this makes your big day a little warmer and a little brighter (even though it’s a day early)! Enjoy the sweetness! *hugs you to pieces*

“You know,” whispered a tall brunette hunched over the bar, eyeing Eren over the rim of her glass. “Security at this party is a joke.”

“Oh?” Eren responded absently, ignoring the bedroom eyes she was throwing his way.

 _I’m getting paid. I’m getting paid._ He chanted silently to himself for what felt like the millionth time. Marco had wrangled him into bartending last minute at a launch party for a new whiskey brand, and the allure of a promising paycheck and box of top shelf brown spirits proved to be too much of temptation.

The party was packed, and he’d spent the better part of the night pouring glass after glass of whiskey and running back and forth between his bar and the back room to refill the ice bucket and restock his cocktail glasses.

 _“Seriously,”_ the woman continued, pitching her voice lower. She looked over her shoulder before motioning for Eren to lean closer, her red lips curving up into a mischievous grin.

Eren decided to play along and ducked down, so that he was tilting his face closer to hers and inhaling the rich, oaky smell of whiskey lingering on her skin. The women took this as an invitation to move her lips to gently brush against Eren’s ear.

“I saw a couple sneak into the closet next to the photo booth,” she confessed, and Eren could hear the suggestion in her voice.

“Um,” Eren mumbled, jerking his head back to duck down and grab a clean rag to swipe over the pristine counter.

The woman pouted, and then pulled her lips into a small scowl that made her look tired and mean.

“Whatever.” She pulled out her phone and turned away, hastily grabbing her drink from the bar without another look at Eren.

There were a lot of beautiful men and women enjoying the party, and the woman with the red lipstick hadn’t been the first to flirt with Eren. That was normal, for the most part, since he was friendly, a good listener and an even better sport.

His wooden, branded bar was near the back of the venue, tucked away from the pulsating DJ and dance floor, past the charcuterie table and VIP lounge, and nestled just beyond the row of elevators dinging quietly between floors. He didn’t mind his location much, as he had a breathtaking view of the skyline sprawling out beneath the top floor of the building. The view reminded him how lucky he felt to be living and breathing in such a vibrant city.

Despite the glamorous company, nobody had quite caught his eye, and besides, he was working. This one gig would pay well enough for him to get his rent check out on time with enough left over to splurge on the leather jacket he’d been eyeing at the thrift store around the corner from his apartment.

Only Jean from the bar he worked at had been able to join him, but the other bartenders were friendly, and Eren had been living in the city long enough to know how to talk his way into almost anything.

When he looked up, the sight of the on-site event manager barreling through the crowd with her arms flailing was enough to catch him off guard. He noticed a look of panic on her usually stoic face.

“I need your help,” she practically hissed, grabbing his bicep tightly in her hand. _“Now.”_

“What do you need, Ymir?” Eren asked, grabbing her wrist and gently plying her fingers from his arm.

“I knew that fucking agency was going to fuck something up,” Ymir said, scrolling through her phone and turning away to start walking without lifting her head away from the dimly lit screen.

She didn’t pause to see if Eren had followed, and he had to quickly lunge over the counter to keep up with her brisk pace, her hair bouncing with each long stride. He sighed in relief when he managed to avoid shattering any glasses in his haste.

“Fuck!” she cursed again.

In all the time that Eren had been bartending for Ymir at various events around the city, he’d never seen her quite so ruffled. “What’s wrong?”

He dreaded the answer.

“Those dumb fucks!” Ymir muttered, as if that explained everything.

“Okay,” Eren tried again, smoothing down his black tie. All the bartenders and staff were wearing the same white shirts and black ties, the uniform that Ymir had supplied when they arrived to the event. “Tell me what you need.”

Ymir gave him a sideways look, pausing her furious texting to brush her bangs back from her forehead. “They didn’t hire enough staff, and I’m down a few attendants.”

“Oh.” Eren didn’t quite know what to say. It didn’t sound like the travesty he’d been expecting—no fires, no one bleeding or injured. “Okay?”

But as they neared the elevators, Eren began to understand Ymir’s panic. Swarms of tipsy and red-faced guests were making their way to the coat check at once, the party clearly drawing to a close. He could see the looks of annoyance and scowls and the beginnings of frustrated fights breaking out among the different partygoers.

 _“Oh,”_ Eren said again.

“Fuck,” Ymir said again, with feeling. “I’m sorry to ask but can you hop back there and help out? I really need to get these people out of here. Please.”

Ymir never pleaded, and Eren could already see her looking over the crowd for her client, assessing the situation for damage control.

“You know you don’t need to ask,” Eren said, nudging her shoulder playfully.

“Thank you,” she sighed, giving Eren a pleased look. “I owe you a bag of my best weed.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Eren laughed, turning to make his way to the chaotic coat check.

“Wait,” Ymir said, grabbing the sleeve of his arm before letting go. She looked like she was about to say something, but then changed her mind. “Never mind. It’s better if you just find out on your own.”

“Stop being so weird.” Eren stuck his tongue at her and blew her a quick kiss. “And don’t forget I like Northern Lights.”

Ymir smiled before her phone started buzzing loudly in her hands, and she turned away to answer.

Eren hurried over toward the coat check, weaving through the crowd with some difficulty. It was tucked behind a large whiskey sign, remembering that he’d dropped off his stuff and changed his clothes in there at the start of the party.

Rows of racks hid behind thick black curtains, and the makeshift stand reminded Eren more of the chaos of fashion week than the organized coat racks he was used to seeing at rich New York hotels, where he often worked.

Pushing through the grumbling crowd, Eren slid one hand through the curtain only to hear someone curse, “Fuck your fcuk coat, you dickless douchebag!”

He couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. The racks were filled to the brim with fur coats, leather jackets, black vests and everything else imaginable, packed so closely together that there wasn’t any space between. The floor was littered with bags, shoes and various articles of clothing that the staff had left before the party.

No signs of life, as far as he could tell.

“Uhh,” Eren said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hello?”

“Thank Satan’s balls,” a deep voice murmured from within the jumble of coats. A moment later, a short man pushed through the thick layers to stand fully in the room.

He looked at Eren with a pair of icy grey eyes, slightly obscured by silky strands of midnight black hair. Blue-purple shadows gathered under his eyes and his pale, porcelain skin glowed under the bright lighting. He looked broody and sulking, arrogant and unapproachable with pale, thin lips and a sharp, pointy chin.

He was the exact opposite of Eren’s type, but he found himself instantly drawn to the slender man standing before him.

“She sent _you_?” he said in a slightly raised voice, his eyebrows lifted in a look of surprise. He looked Eren over, eyes roaming over his face and travelling slowly down the length of his body, and then scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

“Excuse me?” Eren asked, his hackles rising at the other man’s tone, his attraction momentarily forgotten.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked the room, rolling his eyes and gesturing at Eren. Then he was pushing past Eren roughly to hand over the fcuk coat to the “dickless douchebag” standing just outside the curtain.

“Next,” he called out roughly, plucking a number from between a woman’s long pink nails.

“Ever worked coat check before, kid?” he groused before disappearing into the mess of coats again.

Before Eren could answer, he reached back out to grab Eren’s tie and yanked him roughly into the nonexistent space between the racks. It was quieter between the coats, the sounds of laughter and slowly pumping music dimmed by the thick collection of fabric.

“I’m not a kid,” Eren snapped, pulling his tie back and flattening it against his chest. The man gave him a sideways look but didn’t comment.

Eren realized how close they were standing, so that he could feel the heat emanating from the other man’s body and the citrusy smell of his cologne, like freshly cleaned sheets clinging to a close line in the middle of a tangerine orchard.

His earlier attraction came back in full force, curling tightly in his stomach. The small space between the racks created such an intimate environment, and Eren couldn’t keep his gaze from lingering on the vulnerable, luminous skin of his neck and the hard line of his jaw.

“Okay,” Mr. Coat Check said, peering down at the number in his hand. “Working a coat check is pretty simple. Those dumb fucks out there hand you a number and then you find the hanger with the matching number. Follow me so far?”

“Yes.” Eren grit his teeth and glared down at the arrogant asshole standing next to him. No wonder Ymir tried to warn him, this guy was hostile. Attractive, though. _Fuck._

“Wonderful,” he deadpanned. “The lower numbers are on the left and the higher numbers are on the right.”

He watched the other man riffle through the coats hanging in front of him and noticed that he had to balance on his toes in order to check the numbers.

“You can see the numbers from down there?” Eren asked with exaggerated surprise, needling him a bit for being such an ass.

He pulled away from the coats far enough to give Eren an appraising look. “Not bad,” he said, before pushing a coat into Eren’s arms. “Now start collecting numbers before Ymir castrates us both.”

“Wait,” Eren said, dragging his feet and turning his head to stare at the other man. “What’s your name?”

It was very quiet, only the soft rustle of fabrics brushing against each other as Eren waited for a reply.

“Levi,” he said in voice that made Eren think he might be lying. He hoped not. Eren liked the way it sounded on repeat in his mind.

A familiar anxiety has sunk over him, submerging him in a strong current of want and desire. It had been a long time since Eren felt aroused by someone like this, and he licked his lips to relieve his suddenly dry mouth.

“I’m Eren,” he offered after a moment, when Levi didn’t ask.

“No, you’re fucking slow,” Levi snapped, shoving him back out again and following hot on his heels.

The next hour was a blur of chaos of and curses, Eren and Levi rushing back and forth between the racks and line of guests waiting just past the black, soft velvet curtains.

It was a bit exciting, Eren had to admit. Especially when Levi would brush up against his back, searching for a coat on the same rack or when their hands would touch as they grabbed blindly for hangers. Eren remembered a particularly intense exchange when he’d bent down to check a bag buried beneath the rack, and Levi had rested a warm hand on the small of his back as he moved past, muttering a low, “Be careful,” that had sent shivers up his spine.

The heat of Levi’s touch had stung his skin beneath his thin shirt, but he didn't mind it. He felt cold now, down to his bones, as if he'd never be warm again. When he looked a Levi’s face, he was as indifferent and calm as ever, but Eren thought he could see his pulse jumping in his throat when he tilted his face up toward the hangers.

They’d made a sizeable dent, though the room was still a hot mess, with pieces of clothing strewn all over the place and broken hangers littering the floor. Some guests seemed to still be lingering on the dance floor, but the coat check line was mercifully clear.

Levi had busied himself with sweeping up the paper numbers gathering on the floor. Wiping his forehead, Eren took a moment to survey the room for his bag. Despite the coolness he was feeling, he wanted to change out of his long-sleeved shirt and into his own, comfortable clothes.

“What time is it?” he asked Levi, fiddling with his tie.

“Close to midnight,” he responded, pausing his sweeping to pull his phone from his back pocket. Eren pretended not to notice how fantastic his ass looked through the tight material.

Eren nodded, suddenly feeling shy. He turned his back to Levi and searched for his gym bag, unbuttoning his shirt as he looked.

When he was naked from the waist up, he glanced to the side and saw that Levi had stilled his movements to stare at him, and his dark eyelashes looked very long and black against the sharp, pale angles of his cheekbones. Eren couldn’t read Levi’s expression, but the tendons in his hands were straining underneath his tight grip on the broom handle.

Eren bit his lip and pulled his shirt on, thankful to be out of his tie. He quickly pulled off his pants and slipped into his black skinny jeans. When he heard a rustling behind him, he turned to see Levi had crossed the small room to stand in front of him.

Levi pulled a bag from his back pocket and shook it gently in Eren’s face, and he saw a single white joint resting at the bottom. “You in?”

“Maybe,” Eren said, glancing back up at Levi’s face and wondering if this was a test. “But where—”

“The rooftop,” Levi said easily, smirking and leaning closer. His sharp scent was alluring and heady, even after all the time that had passed between them.

“How do you know I won’t tell Ymir?” Eren challenged, looking down at Levi with hooded eyes. He mostly said it to see what Levi would do, to try to rattle and uproot the other man like he’d so effortlessly done to Eren.

The corner of Levi’s mouth lifted into a crooked grin that had Eren’s heart beating faster. “I don’t, not really.”

Eren swallowed, and Levi’s eyes lowered to track the movement of his throat. His eyes felt like fire on his skin.

Then Levi leaned in closer, his silver gaze slowly sliding up Eren’s face, pausing on his lips. “That’s part of the fun.”

And then he was closing the distance between them and kissing Eren, his lips warm and soft and yielding. The kiss was so tender, so different from what Eren had been expecting, that a surge of warmth burned through his chest.

Levi moved a warm hand to rest at the base of Eren’s neck, and he ran his fingers over the sensitive skin there so gently that Eren gasped. When his lips parted, Levi slowly traced his bottom lip with his tongue, sucking lightly before pushing it into the heat of Eren’s mouth.

Levi tasted like mints and chocolate as his tongue slowly brushed against Eren’s, and he was so, so _good_. Eren moved his hands up his back and angled his jaw to press his lips more firmly against Levi, leaning down to better accommodate the difference in their height.

After a moment, Eren pulled back slowly, carefully, wanting to see the expression on Levi’s face. The other man’s eyes were closed, a light flush riding high on his cheekbones, and Eren let out a shuddering exhale at how beautiful he looked, vulnerable and turned on and just a little bit reckless.

But when Levi’s eyes opened slightly beneath hooded lids, Eren could see his pupils were blown, only a thin band of pale grey visible, so pretty and lust-dark and filled with wild desire. This time, Eren closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Levi’s waist and pulling him impossibly close.

As their tongues moved together, one of Eren’s hands slid up to tangle in the soft strands of Levi’s hair, and when he tugged gently, Levi’s breath hitched in his throat. Liking that reaction, Eren pulled a little harder and then Levi moaned into his mouth, and the sound pulled between his legs, deep and dark and full of promise.

Eren kissed Levi’s throat then, tasting the sweetness of his skin, and he shivered beneath his touch. Levi made another soft sound in his ear, and Eren felt the shift in their bodies, the mutual sense of urgency that settled over their every movement.

The slow burn building between their bodies as their lips and limbs slid against each other was so achingly perfect. When Levi pulled Eren’s head back to expose the tawny skin of his throat, Eren moaned.

“Levi,” he whispered like a plea and a prayer, licking his lips as Levi dragged a tongue from his just below his ear to his collarbone.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” cried a voice from the entrance, annoyed and cranky and impossibly loud.

Levi seemed dead set on ignoring the other man that had walked into the coat check, but Eren pulled back slightly to stare into the golden eyes of one pissed off Jean Kirstein.

“Umm,” Eren mumbled, trying not to moan as Levi continued to suck the skin of his neck into his hot, wet mouth.

“Ymir is cracking skulls out there and the two of you are in here and you’re, uh,” words seemed to fail Jean in his rage, and he ended up gesturing at the both of them in a vague way that Eren guessed was supposed to mean “making out.”

Levi had the decency to finally pull away then, though he didn’t untangle himself fully from Eren. “Thank god you’re here.”

“Huh?” Jean responded, narrowing his eyes at Levi.

“Eren and I have an important errand to run for Ymir,” he lied, pushing Eren toward the velvet curtains.

“Oh _right_ ,” responded Eren quickly. “Yes, very important Jean.”

“Hey!” Jean yelled, when they nearly disappeared through the curtains, leaving Jean standing alone in the middle of the coat check.

“Hay is for horses!” Eren called over his shoulder. “Thanks!”

And then Levi was leading him toward the elevators and into the brisk New York city night, hopefully to pick up from where they had left off between fur coats and leather jackets in the most romantic coat check he’d ever had the pleasure to visit.


End file.
